


Beware the Dancing Clown

by GothamGod



Category: Batman - All Media Types, IT - Stephen King
Genre: Affairs, Batman Year 3, Child Murder, Crossover, DCEU AU, F/M, Gen, Implied Relationships, More characters to be added, Sexual Content
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-08-04
Updated: 2018-08-14
Packaged: 2018-12-11 00:24:16
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 5
Words: 4,040
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11702931
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/GothamGod/pseuds/GothamGod
Summary: A storm has come to Gotham. Set in the early years of the Batman, the young detective investigates a series of child murders, linking them all to one horror. A killer that can shapeshift into anyone's wildest nightmares. Without a sidekick, and a police department blaming him for the murders, Batman must ally himself with the thief Catwoman, to hunt down this menace, and restore peace to Gotham City.





	1. Chapter 1

First of all, I'm sure this is _**not**_ how you expected the story to begin. But to understand the horror _Gotham_ went through, we have to start at the beginning. Back in _Derry, Maine_.

They called themselves, the _Loser's_ _Club_ ,a group of teenagers, social outcasts. Perfect targets for bullies, and the monster. These children were the first ones to defeat the monster, the one they dubbed "It." 

In theory, It was humiliated, and migrated to a new destination. One so riddled with crime, scum and villainy, no one would notice his atrocities. Except for one mighty force, that no one dared oppose. 

**_The Batman_**.

 

The vigilante was young then, the year was 1998, three years prior, he had first appeared in his home city, striking hard at the criminal underworld, making himself known, and frightening the scum of the city.

The officers of the _GCPD_ did not trust him, except for Lieutenant James Gordon. The two made an unlawful partnership, and brought down many of Gotham's criminals.

But neither Gordon, nor the Batman saw this storm coming.

* * *

 

It was a cool fall evening, the streets were pelted with rain, the sidewalks were slippery, and the children played in the streets of the suburban area of _Gotham_.

A young boy, by the name of Jacob Bertrand, ran after his toy soldier. He had dropped the figurine into the running water, and chased after it as it flowed down the stream. 

Jacob was laughing with each step he took, the wind against his face, threatening to rip off his hood. His icy blue eyes followed the soldier, and watched helplessly as it fell into a sewer drain.

"No!" The blonde boy screamed, as he ran to the drain, kneeling down. Tears strayed to swell as he kept looking. He wears expecting to find the soldier, not the red-haired clown that popped seemingly out of nowhere.

"Hiya, Jake," the clown spoke, the boy was taken aback, how did the mysterious clown know his name. Jacob was silent, his eyebrows furrowing in fear. 

"Ooh, why so glum pal?" The clown asked, with a sympathetic tone in his voice. "My mommy says I'm not supposed to talk to strangers," Jacob answered politely.

The Clown smiled softly, and nodded, "Your mommy's a real _wise_ lady. Say, let's get to know each other," the Clown added, his smile growing. 

"I'm _Pennywise the Dancing Clown_ , and you, you are Jacob." Pennywise pursed his lips, "See, now we're formally acquainted." 

Jacob nodded, smiling, "Yeah, I guess so." Pennywise's head lowered, hiding a terrible grin. "Say, were ya lookin' for _this_?" The dancing clown held up the green toy soldier, and Jacob nodded excitedly.

"Here, take it." Pennywise ordered, "And once you have it, we can go on rides, and play games. And I can give you a balloon! We've got all sorts of balloons."

Jacob smiled brightly, "D-do they float?" He asked shyly. Pennywise smirked wickedly, "Oh yes... they _float_ ," He reached out, holding the toy soldier so Jacob can reach it. "And when you're down here, _**YOU'LL FLOAT TOO**_!" 

The Clown grabbed the boy's arm, and pulled him into the sewers. Pennywise's teeth grew longer and sharper, and with a mighty chomp, he silenced the boy's screams.

* * *

It took Forty-Eight hours before then GCPD found the body. Lieutenant Gordon, and Detective Harvey Bullock were the first ones on the case. 

"Jesus, Jim. Who'd rip that poor boy's throat out like that?" Gordon responded with a shudders sigh, and a rub to his front temple.

"I've got no idea, Harvey. Gotham's full of sick bastards that would do this, the list is practically fuckin' endless." 

Harvey nodded, then noticed a dark figure drop from the sky. "Yer boyfriend's here." Jim turned, and faced the vigilante. "Glad you could show up."

"What do we know so far?" The Batman asked, taking Jim's casefile. Gordon shrugged, "Not much. The victim's name is Jacob Bertrand, _six_ years old, had his throat and jugular ripped cleanly out."

Batman grit his teeth, pocketing the file. "I'll see what I can do. In the meantime, keep searching for any new evidence. I want to be the first to know if something new comes up." Jim nodded, and watched the vigilante grapple away.

"I don't trust 'im." Harvey states, breaking the unsettling silence left by the Gotham Bat. "You don't have to, Harv. But I know he'll catch the son of a bitch of it's the last thing he'll do."

 


	2. Chapter 2

The dream was the same as it always was. Two gunshots breaking the still air, the boy's screams as his mother and father crumple to the concrete, basking in their blood. 

Yes, the dream was all the same, except for the addition of something. 

"Hiya Bruce. Would you like a balloon?" He heard the voice echoing across the street, repeating itself over and over. The boy turned, searching for the source, only to feel hitched breaths running down his neck.

The boy turned, making eye contact with a 6'4 clown, who immediately took hold of Bruce's throat, and held him to his height. "Stay out of my way, you're too old. Stay out of my way, Wayne. Or you'll float too."

Bruce eyes instantly opened, his toned body shooting upwards. Sweat dripped down his brow, onto his slightly scarred chest. The young billionaire looked to his right, acknowledging the naked woman's presence in his bed.

Wayne rolled his eyes with a sigh, and slowly stepped out of his silk sheets. He leisurely walked towards the window, and took in the view from Wayne Manor. It was still astonishingly breathtaking.

The entoxicating aroma of buttermilk pancakes topped with peanut butter and sliced bananas invaded the man's sense of smell, as he practically sprinted out the master bedroom, sliding down the staircase.

When Bruce hit the last step, Alfred couldn't help but smile. "Good morning, Master Wayne. Would you like your protein shake with your pancakes?" 

Wayne took his seat at the table picking up the newest edition of the Gotham Gazette, "Just the shake and a banana." He fought every urge to take the stack of hot cakes, and devour them. Bruce read the headline, and sighed.

"Any lead on those dreadful murders, Bruce," the butler asked. "Keep it down, Al. She might be up." 

Alfred smirked lightly to himself. Ever since Bruce returned from God knows where, the butler had been trying to get him to open up, settle down, and hang up that dreadful cowl.

But Bruce decided to use the playboy card. Having countless nights, and days of meaningless sex, with women he'd never call again, and spending most of his time in the Cave system under the property. It wasn't rare that he stepped out, as Bruce Wayne or the Batman, but they had trouble staying out of the news.

"And to answer your question," Bruce spoke, "No." He had decided on the way to the kitchen to leave the details of his dream away from Alfred. It was just another nightmare. "I've been searching every damn angle, and I still can't find a suspect. Whoever it is, they're calculated, and well prepared."

"Ah." Alfred replied, sitting across from Bruce sipping his coffee. "Lucius called, said he had something for you back at Wayne Tower. No doubt for your other job."

Bruce nodded, as footsteps creaked down the staircase, and Vicki Vale came into view. "Morning, Brucie. Good morning, Alfred." Pennyworth smiled, and Bruce stood, walking to her, planting a kiss on her rosy lips.

"I've got something to take care of back at Wayne Industries. I should be back in time for lunch, Vick." The reporter smiled softly, and nipped at his neck, "Hurry back, mister Wayne." 

Bruce's breath hitched, and Alfred held back the mocking laughter. Wayne nodded, threw on his coat, and was out the door.

 

As Bruce drove through the streets of Gotham, he passed by a new crime scene. He shuddered.

There was no doubt about it. Gotham had a serial killer in its midst. 


	3. Chapter 3

It knew everything about this city, despite being here for a few weeks. It knew of Arkham, the civilians, and oh, It knew of the Bat. How couldn't It?

It knew the Bat would try to stop It's feast. It wouldn't let that happen, It would feast on the Bat, and now that his identity was known to It, the Bat would be so delicious, seasoned with his fears.

The power It had over Derry was phenomenal, but it would be years before the hypnosis would cloud Gotham like it once did, Derry. But once It had full control, the Bat's anonymity would be ripped from him, along with his life.

The entity stepped forward, resting it's gaze onto the dead children of Gotham. Fingers wrapped around a girl's throat, and jagged teeth bit into her throat.   
The feast had begun.

Bruce Wayne exited the elevator, stepped into the Executive level of Wayne Tower and moved towards Lucius Fox's office.

Wayne's hand inched towards his keycard, and felt his fingertips touch the cool plastic item.

The door immediately opened before he could attempt his sign-in, and Lucius Fox stood before him.

“Bruce,” the middle-aged man spoke, “I was just about to call.” Wayne smirked, and walked in beside him, “You don’t need to worry, Lucius. I’m right here.”

Fox nodded, though not completely convinced the billionaire’s head was, how you say, in the game. Lucius turned to his computer screen, and pressed a button, showing security footage from last night.

Bruce’s eyebrow rose in askance. “What is this?” Fox removed his glasses, and cleaned them with the collar of his jacket. “We were _robbed_.” He began fast forwarding, and stopped the video, zooming in on what seemed to be a woman.

“The suspect has a taste in animal like costumes, much like someone else I know.” Bruce stared in utter disbelief, he was told no one would be able to crack his security, and yet, this woman had done it.

“Have you ran facial recognition?” Wayne asked, breaking the silence. Lucius nodded, “Suspect’s name is one Irena Dubrovna,” he sighed softly, “but when I ran that name through the criminal database, no one by that name existed.”

The billionaire narrowed his eyes, “So either she’s new at this, or it’s an alias.”

“Give me a record of every other possible targets in the downtown area, and a copy of spots that have been hit already. I’ll find a connection, and stop this ‘Irena Dubrovna.’

Bruce exited the office, and strolled back down to the parking lot, his dream still replaying through his mind.

The clown had told him not to try, that he was too old. What the hell did that mean? Whoever it was, or whatever, it was linked to all this. The killings, and possibly the robbery, and he would find out who was doing this, and he’d put an end to their tyranny.

He was so caught up in it all, he didn’t notice the young woman he’d bumped in to. When his senses regained, he helped her up.

“I’m so sorry, I seem to be in another place.” Bruce said quietly, in an apologetic tone. The woman just stood there, with a seductive smirk.

“It’s quite alright. I wasn’t paying attention either.” Thank god, Bruce thought to himself. “Bruce Wayne.” He introduced himself, and stool out his hand, expecting a shake.

She shrugged it off, “We all know who you are, _Mr. Wayne_.” The tone in her voice was almost, threatening. That took Bruce by surprise.

“And you are?”

“Selina Kyle.” The woman answered, her green eyes locked into his brown ones. The emerald glow seeping from Selina’s retinas seemed to put Bruce under a trance, hypnotized by her smooth talking.

Bruce smirked, and lowered his hand, “Nice to meet you, Ms. Kyle. If you’ll please excuse me, I have to leave.” Selina nodded, “Oh, believe me, I have my _own_ business to attend to as well.”

She turned on her heels, and walked off, leaving Bruce stunned. She turned her head back to him, and winked her eyelashes at the billionaire, then left his field of vision.

Bruce glared suspiciously, then returned to the elevator. It was time to catch a thief, and a killer.

It didn’t take him long to cross reference the previously hit targets, and the suspected ones. He easily found a link between the two, and was staking it out.

The Batman held his binoculars, scoping the scene, analyzing every entry way, and every possible escape route. Whoever this Dubrovna was, she was agile, and in perfect shape to get away, but the Bat would not let her.

This time it was personal.

After an hour, the thief made her move. She dropped down to a window, and used a cat-like razor claw on her fingers to slice a hole, big enough for her slender body, into the glass.

Her heeled boot stepped in, and the rest of her followed suit. The Bat watched, reached for his grapnel gun, and fired a line down into the building. His cape flapped in the wind, and extended, giving the impression of wings on the vigilante’s back, as he crashed into the glass, right in front of the thief.

“Irena Dubrovna,” Batman spoke in his deep, unrecognizable voice, “you’re under arrest.” Dubrovna smirked, and put a hand on her hip.

“Is this how you _always_ start a date? Pity, I expected more fun.” She smirked, and reached for a whip on her belt. Her claws wrapped around the handle, and she sent the whip flying, and cracking down on the vigilante.

Batman shot his arm up, letting the whip wrap around his gauntlet. He then reached for it, and with all his force, pulled Irena forward, and sent her flying to a wall.

Dubrovna flipped in the air, and landed on her feet gracefully, “Don’t you know it’s dangerous to corner a wild animal?”

“Then let’s put you in a cage.” Batman shot back menacingly, as he charged the thief. She cracked her whip, and flew out of the way.

“By the way, the name’s not Dubrovna. It’s _Catwoman_ , hear me roar!” Catwoman shouted, as she pounced onto the Bat, slicing his chin with a razor.

Batman shouted in pain, and stumbled back, as Catwoman sent a kick to his chest, only to have him grab her foot, and flip her over.

“Surrender _now_. Final warning, come peacefully, or get _hurt_ ,” Batman ordered, crossing his arms over his chest.

She chuckled, “Oh, Bat. It hasn’t even _begun_.” Catwoman sent her leg up, and kicked the wooden floor beneath Batman, causing it to crumble, and break apart.

The Bat fell down, dropping his grapnel, and fell straight onto a jagged pipe, as it impaled him near his rib cage.


	4. Chapter 4

_Black_. It always seems to be like that for Bruce. An inescapable darkness that shadows his soul. A home, as he saw it. For the first time since he arrived home, there was a pain that came with the shadows. One that threatened to rip his life away from his mortal body. A pain that was excruciating, yet peaceful. Had all these years of self destruction and training lead to this? Bruce Wayne, _the Batman_ , bested by a common thief?  
  
   No. This was not the end, not for the vigilante anyway. He slowly opened his eyes, allowing the pain to fade across his body. Batman groaned heavily, and looked down at the wound. Blood soaked his kevlar armor, and dried around the rusty pipe. “Shit...” was all he could manage at that point.

   Batman gripped the pipe, and slowly ripped it out of his side, the skin and blood closed on the edge. He sighed heavily, his vision began to blur and his knees wobbled. The vigilante stepped forward, falling to the floor. His hand crossed his chest, and compressed the impalement tightly.

   A white light washed over his vision, surrounding the vigilante. In the blinding illumination stood two figures, a man and a woman. Thomas and Martha. Batman’s eyes were heavy as the figures approached the fallen knight.

   “Bruce- can you hear us Bruce,” Thomas spoke with a booming voice. “You’ve done well Bruce. It’s time to come home, son.”

   “We miss you, honey, please, come home,” Martha chimed in. “Come home Bruce... and you’ll float too.”

   Bruce peered through his cowl, a look of confusion washing over his pained face. “The hell...” he asked, agitation dripping in his voice.

   The figures stepped forward as one, in sync. It looked like they were... smiling. Bruce slowly stood, falling onto the wall, watching them inch closer to his body. A chill ran up and down his spine, a feeling he hadn’t felt since that night at the theater. Fear.

   As he watched, the figures began to morph into one. Much to the Batman’s horror, it became a twisted, deformed version of his deceased parents. “You’ll float too!” It barked angrily, and sprinted towards the hero. Batman stepped back, and jumped out of its path, falling to one knee.

   “Dammit..” he spoke with a pained voice, checking behind him, evaluating his situation. “What the fuck are you?!” It grinned at his question, turning its head, “It’s ussssss Bruce... It’sss mommy and daddy.” Batman shook his head, clenching your fists. “ _YOU’RE NOT THEM_!”

   The vigilante fought the pain searing through his body, and lunged forward, sending his gloved hand into its body, striking hard, searching for any signs of weakness. The figure only cackled wickedly. “Delicious fear...” it spoke softly, stepping forward. “Stop fighting Bat... succumb to your injuries... let me feast on your flesh as I feed on your fears.”

   Batman reached to his belt, throwing a smoke bomb to the floor. As the smoke bellowed from the grenade, the Bat made his move. He removed two batarangs, and lunged forward, impaling the monstrosity’s neck. It howled in pain, and began to laugh maniacally. The vigilante used this distraction to his advantage, and grappled up back to the top floor.

   He fell to his knees, and clutched his wounds, slowly crawling out of the building. His fingers reached to the communicator in his belt, and contacted Alfred. “Need... assistance... sending... location... mom... dad...” The darkness swept over him once more.

   


	5. Chapter 5

Bruce awoke in his bed several days later. His eyes burning from the light pouring from the windows. He attempted to sit up, only to be stopped by Alfred, who jumped up from the chair next to the bed. "Sir, you need to rest." Bruce grit his teeth, and groaned, before giving a reluctant nod. After a few moments of struggling, he finally laid back, and felt the pain seep through every fiber in his body.

"That Catwoman truly did a number on you," Alfred said quietly. Bruce nodded, and sighed. "I saw them Alfred," he began in a hoarse voice. "Mother and father. I _saw_ them." Alfred stopped for a moment, then looked to the bedridden man. "Are you sure?" Wayne nodded once again. "They were as clear as you are right now, but it wasn't them." The butler raised a brow. "Of course it wasn't, they've been gone for years." 

Bruce became agitated. "I know they're gone! But I saw them, but whatever it is that I saw, it wasn't them. It was something more. Something darker." Alfred sighed, "What do you believe it is that you saw?" Bruce's eyes shifted to the door. "I don't know. Whatever it was, it had the power to take several different forms." Pennyworth was taken aback by that statement. "You were injured, you were hallucinating." Wayne glared at his butler, "I know what I saw!"

"I know you believe that, Master Bruce, but it simply makes no sense. Use that brilliant mind of yours." Bruce avoided Alfred's gaze, then attempted to stand. Alfred stepped forward, only to be waved off by the young man. "I'll prove it, but Catwoman is my priority." Alfred nodded. "I highly suggest you rest, but I've known you too long to know you'll _ever_ listen to me." Bruce ignored Alfred's remark, then slowly walked out of the master bedroom, and stepped carefully down the stairs. He clutched the wound for a moment, then used everything he had to fight the pain. "I need you to contact Lucius," Bruce said, then turned his head back to his father figure. "Tell him I'm bringing back the shipment Catwoman stole."

Alfred nodded, "Very good, sir. When should I tell Mr. Fox to expect it?" Bruce narrowed his eyes, then continued on his path to the Batcave. "Tonight." He uttered, before activating the entrance.

GCPD- 

Jim Gordon ran his fingers through his hair gently, and lit up a cigarette to help numb the feeling in his stomach. Another child had gone missing. That made three in the past thirty-six hours. Gordon thumbed through the paperwork, and sighed heavily. He couldn't shake the feeling his daughter, Barbara, would find her way onto one of these reports, and that frightened the lieutenant more than anything. He raised the cigarette to his mouth, and after a few puffs, blew the smoke into the air. "Light it up, Harv." The senior officer ordered. Bullock obeyed, and activated the search light, and raised the beam high above the clouds. "He hasn't been seen in days, Jim."

"I know. But I have a feeling he'll be here, just wait." 

"Whatever you say." Bullock replied, taking a bite from the chili dog he bought a few minutes earlier. 

After thirty minutes of waiting, the vigilante dropped from the darkness. "What's the problem?" Bullock spun around, and put a hand to his chest, breathing heavily. "Christ!" Jim side-eyed Bullock, and stepped towards Batman. "Three new missing kids." He said, handing Batman the files. The Caped Crusader narrowed his eyes, and took the papers in his hands. "Any connections?" Gordon shook his head. "All the same as the others. This is getting out of hand."

Batman nodded, "I agree. What about the Wayne Industries case? Have the items Catwoman stolen been found?" Gordon sighed, "No. She's in the wind, just like our killer." He pondered that for a few moments. "Do you think she could be the killer?"

The vigilante shook his masked head. "I wouldn't rule anything out."

"That's a good instinct." A man said from the doorway. The trio looked back, and watched him step out. "My name is Harvey Dent, assistant DA." Batman tilted his head. Jim met Harvey's gaze, "What the hell are you doing up here, Mr. Dent?" The man smiled, "The DA asked that I assist you. He doesn't think the GCPD should be working alongside masked men in _tights_." Batman narrowed his eyes slightly, but stayed quiet. "We've got this handled." 

"Sure as hell doesn't look like that to me. You and I are gonna be working very closely Gordon." His eyes shifted from the officers to the Batman. "I look forward to working with you too." Dent waved his escorts away, and moved into the circle. "Any developments I should know about?" Jim shook his head. "Catwoman is still at large with a shipment from Wayne Enterprises, and three more kids have been reported missing."

Dent sighed. "Damn." He motioned to Batman. "What about you?" 

"I encountered Catwoman in a warehouse downtown a few nights ago. Her name is Irena Dubrovna. It's an alias, I ran a search, nothing came up with that name. But someone did with the face." He reached in his belt, and removed a picture of the woman from Wayne Enterprises. "Her real name is Selina Kyle, a common thief. She grew up in the East End, ran with a rough crowd, she had to grow up fast, and make a living. She's good." Jim took the photo, "We're gonna catch her. Do you have any leads?" 

"Not yet. I'm looking into it." 

Bullock rolled his eyes, "Yeah, let the guy dressed like a rodent do our jobs. I'm goin' back downstairs." Dent and Gordon watched Bullock head back, then looked to where Batman _was_ standing.

"What the hell?" Dent asked. "Yeah, he does that." Jim replied with a smirk. "Come on. He'll get this done."


End file.
